This invention relates to locking mechanisms for burial caskets, particularly caskets made of wood. Such caskets customarily have a shell or body portion and a cap or cover portion, the two portions fitting closely edge-to-edge when the casket is closed, and one or more locking mechanisms to assure that once the cap is closed, it is held firmly closed against the shell.
One prior latch for a hardwood casket is a push button latch. A catch on the casket body engages a keeper on the cap and is released by pushing on a push button. Another current form of latch has a pivoted lever mounted on the shell. The lever slides in between the cap and shell and slides in and engages a keeper on the cap.
At the time the manufacture of a hardwood casket and installation of its latching mechanism, it is to be expected that the latch mechanism works perfectly and reliably. But wood tends to grow. It absorbs moisture and is affected by variations in temperature in different parts of the country. The wood expands or contracts, warps and bows. The effect of the "growing" of the wood is to cause a misalignment of the latch with its keeper. The latching of the cap to the body or shell of the casket then requires a jostling to a greater or lesser degree of the cap with respect to the shell in order to bring the latch and keeper into alignment.
In funeral practices, the family may wish to witness or even participate in the closing of the casket at the conclusion of the service. Because of the problems referred to above, there is the fear on the part of the funeral director that the cap will not latch easily and gracefully, thereby detracting from the solemnity of the service.
An objective of the present invention has been to provide a latch for a hardwood casket that will allow as much variation in the natural properties of the wood while nevertheless allowing a funeral director to latch the cap to the shell perfectly and reliably.
This objective of the invention is attained by providing a movable latch or bolt, preferably rotatable, that engages a fixed keeper. The latch has a latch surface that is initially spaced from the keeper but gradually moves toward the keeper during rotation of the latch until latching engagement of the keeper is effected. Thereafter, a cam action between latch and keeper takes place that draws the cap snugly down upon the shell of the casket. Therefore, even if there is unusually great movement of the wood of the casket causing misalignment of latch and keeper, the funeral director is assured that upon rotation of the latch, latching will reliably take place.
Another feature of the invention is that the latch assembly requires no screws. Thus, it is easily assembled and can be automated.
Still another feature of the invention consists of the provision of a detent on the latching surface that rides over the keeper, thereby providing both a tactile response and clicking sound so that the funeral director knows that locking has been effected.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an elongated slot is provided in an edge of the shell which will be contacted by an edge of the cap when the casket is closed.
A hole extends from the outer surface of the shell into communication with the slot and preferably extends beyond the slot into communication with the interior of the casket. The slot receives a rotatable latch having a hook-like arm. The latch has an opening which will be aligned with the hole which communicates with the slot. The latch also has a cam surface on the arm, facing toward the opening in the latch.
A rotatable, elongated locking member is insertable from outside the casket into the hole in the shell wall and into driving engagement with the opening in the latch so that rotation of the locking member rotates the latch.
The facing edge of the cap has keeper means positioned to cooperate with the latch just described. In the preferred embodiment, the keeper means comprises a flat plate screwed to the edge of the cap and set into the edge so as to be flush therewith. The plate has two elongated openings separated by a transverse portion which is engaged by the arm of the latch. The cap edge portion is hollowed out behind the elongated openings and the transverse portion to provide access for the hook-like arm to move around behind said transverse portion.
The cam surface of the hook-like arm has a depression that defines the final position of the keeper, and a vertical face at the end of the cam to prevent overtightening. There is also a projecting detent section on the cam, the detent section engaging the keeper just before the keeper reaches the depression. This section provides a click which assures the user that the mechanism is locked, and also prevents unlocking due to vibration.
In the preferred embodiment, a slotted member is positioned in the elongated slot in the shell, the slotted member conforming closely to the inner surface and depth of the elongated slot. The slotted member receives the latch in its slot, and has a transverse opening to receive the locking member.
Means such as a metal clip are provided on the inner end of the locking member, inside the casket, to prevent the member from slipping out of the shell wall.
When installed, the end surface of the member is flush with the outer surface of the shell. Except at its round, flanged and knurled outer end, the locking member is hexagonal in cross section, as is the opening in the latch. The locking member has an internal hexagonal cross section bore to receive the standard casket key.
The novel locking mechanism accomplishes the objects of the invention, which are to provide a highly dependable locking mechanism which draws the cap tightly to the shell, reduces shifting, prevents overtightening, is asethetic in appearance, and is simple and speedily manufactured and assembled.